Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century
 
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Anti-fascism and the far right

With love and solidarity; with sadness and rage

Over 100 people gathered under the Cable Street mural for a vigil for Pittsburgh on Sunday 28 October. Contributions from Colin Wilson and Taisie Tsikas. Last night, over 100 people gathered under the Cable Street mural in the East End for a vigil for the lives lost in Pittsburgh to antisemitic, white supremacist violence. Under […]

Report on A Day Without Men 2018

A Day Without Men featured sessions on fascism and sexual violence, migration and the care industry, and workplace organising.

Anti-fascist demonstrators outnumber the far right in London

On October 13th, the DFLA attempted a rally in London and were opposed by thousands of counter-demonstrators. rs21 members report on the day’s events. On the 13th of October, the far-right Democratic Football Lad’s Alliance (DFLA) attempted to march through London. In response, two counter-demonstrations formed at around midday to shut them down. The DFLA […]

‘Legitimate Concerns’: the Language of Division

How does the language of “legitimate concerns” play into racist narratives? Hanna Gal argues against making any concessions to the discourse of the right.

After the Heß demo – why do the Berlin police protect (some) Nazi marches?

Police in Berlin recently enabled a neo-Nazi demonstration to march through the multicultural Friedrichshain district

Always anti-fascist, always anti-sexist

Kate Bradley considers the misogyny at the heart of fascism, and asks how we can better challenge it.

Far right humiliated in Cambridge

A far right demonstration in support of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (alias Tommy Robinson) in Cambridge only drew 17 people, while several hundred anti-fascists gathered to oppose them. Photos and report by Steve Eason (with additional reporting by Nick Evans). Hundreds of anti-racists, including fire fighters, transport workers and local Cambridge activists successfully prevented a sad gathering of […]

Oppose state racism and the far right

We need to fight racism from the state and on the street, as well as the ruling class tactics and policies that stoke it. The demonstrations against Trump’s visit and against the far right mobilisation in support of the jailed ex-EDL leader are both crucial. You can download the rs21 leaflet that will be handed […]

After 9 June: on labelling fascists

Defeating racism will take more than an anti-fascist strategy, but we should clearly identify the fascist core of the new right wing street movement, argues Caliban’s Revenge. On 9 June 2018, central London saw the largest demonstration organised by the far right for many years. Perhaps more than 15,000 assembled to protest “against extremism” and “to […]

Photo report: opposing the DFLA in Manchester

Photos and reflections from Saturday’s rally of opposition to the racist Democratic Football Lads Alliance in Manchester

One year on: Manchester and English nationalism

Since last year’s bombing, Manchester’s tradition of radical politics has come to the fore again

Rock Against Racism: an interview with Ruth Gregory

Ruth Gregory, one of the organisers of the 100,000-strong Rock Against Racism carnival of 1978, talks to rs21 about anti-racist organising from then to now.

What is the Football Lads Alliance

What’s next for the DFLA?

The Democratic Football Lads Alliance outnumbered antiracists at a march weekend, with a crowd that included hardened neo-Nazi activists. Where is the group going next?

Labour Party antisemitism

Antisemitism, then and now | Part 1 of 2

David Rosenberg, of the Jewish Socialists’ Group, delves into the facts and the historical background of current discussions of antisemitism in Labour

Rocking Against Racism and other irrational ideologies

The first Rock Against Racism carnival took place forty years ago, on April 30 1978.

What is fascism?

Dave Renton delineates the types of extreme right movement and highlights the dangers of fascism’s newest form.

Appeal: support Austrian antifascists sued by fascist Freedom Party leader

Austria’s new far-right Vice Chancellor, Heinz-Christian Strache, is suing anti-fascists for ‘slander’. We are republishing Linkswende Jetzt’s appeal for financial support, as they fight to defend themselves against this charge. Additional reporting by Nick Evans of rs21. Heinz-Christian Strache has long-standing connections with Neo-Nazi organisations. His far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) came third in the recent Austrian general […]

Catalonia: crisis puts the working class centre-stage

Seb Cooke argues that the level of ongoing mass struggle will determine the result of the current stand-off in Catalonia. ‘It was the red vision of the revolution, which, inevitably, would one day carry them all away, on some bloody evening at the century’s approaching end.’ This is how Emile Zola describes a march of […]

Exposing the far-right in Austria’s Freedom Party

Austria prepares for elections on 15 October which are likely to result in the far-right Freedom Party helping to form the next government. Nick Evans reviews a new book documenting the extremist groups that now dominate the party. Review of: Hans-Henning Scharsach (with Christa Eveline Spitzbart), Stille Machtergreifung: Hofer, Strache und die Burschenschaften [Silent Coup: […]

A photo report on the Football Lads Alliance

Mitch Mitchell writes on Saturday’s march of the self-described “anti-extremism” group the Football Lads Alliance. Photos by Steve Eason.

Video: Breaking the silence – voices of the British children of refugees from Nazism

Merilyn Moos speaks on her book Breaking the Silence: Voices of the British children of refugees from Nazism.

Islamophobia in Europe: fuel for the far right

As the encroachment of far right parties grows throughout Europe, with the deployment of overtly racist rhetoric creating those who are deemed ‘real’ Europeans and those deemed a threat, Seb Cooke argues an authentic movement against fascism can only come from working class  resistance. The far right and fascists of Europe were celebrating on Sunday […]

Review | The Rise of Hindu Authoritarianism by Achin Vanaik

  Bill Crane reviews The Rise of Hindu Authoritarianism, written by Achin Vanaik as a critical response to the political developments in India following the election of the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in 2014, as well as the consequences and future travails for the Indian left. The Rise of Hindu Authoritarianism is published by Verso Books […]

Choosing or refusing to take sides in an era of right-wing populism

In the decade following the banking crash, the protracted crisis in neoliberal governance is taking a number of striking forms. Neil Davidson sets out the case for ‘rejecting the lesser evil’ option when faced with a choice between the radical right and the neoliberal centre.

Kill All Normies: a missed opportunity to analyse fascism

After the murderous gathering in Charlottesville, there’s a real need for insightful analysis of the American far right – but, argues Lisa Leak Kill All Normies fails to provide it. It’s unsurprising that many of the left on both sides of the Atlantic were excited at the publication of Kill All Normies, Angela Nagle’s new book […]

The remarkable story of Margarete Klopfleisch

rs21 member Sonja Grossner tells the story of her remarkable mother Margarete Klopfleisch, an artist and communist during the Nazi period in Germany who spent time in hiding in the UK. The full biography The Troubles to Greet Beauty is available to buy from Waterstones or Amazon. Margarete (‘Greta’) Klopfleisch (nee Grossner) was born in […]

Remembering Lewisham

Forty years ago, British fascism suffered a historic defeat, as several hundred members of the fascist National Front (NF) were successfully beaten back by thousands of socialists and local residents, despite a huge deployment of police in defence of the NF. The confrontation became known as the Battle of Lewisham. As racism and support for […]

Charlottesville is a call to action against fascism

We republish a post from the American Socialist Worker on this weekend’s deadly confrontations between the far right and anti-racists in Charlottesville, Virginia . On the spot reports are provided by Katherine Nolde, Richard Capron and Scott McLemee The far-right demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12–probably the largest public gathering of the racist “alt-right” ever–was […]

Intolerants not welcome – The Battle of Lewisham 1977

13 August 2017 will be the 40th Anniversary of the “Battle of Lewisham” when thousands of local people and other anti-racists refused to allow the fascist National Front to intimidate them with a provocative march through the community. Lewisham poet Mark ‘Mr T’ Thompson has written this poem in remembrance and celebration of the historic event. […]

Video: the global rise of the far right

A political discussion hosted by rs21 with David Renton and Jairus Banaji